Hi All, I recently invested in an Android tablet and am looking for some drawing software to capture my first Crease Pattern. Can any of you recommend an application, obviously I would like something that has a visible grid and the ability to export, so I can publish my first CP on this forum via Flikr.

It's been 12 years but if anybody still cares I would say Oripa is the best software for crease patterns. Oripa is free, in English, and it can:1.Draw grids2.bisect angles3.Turn three points into a triangular molecule4.Draw perpendicular lines5.reflect segments across linesAnd, it's claim to fame, it can fold the model from a crease pattern. Personally I don't find this feature too helpful for complex models, because you have to have every crease included, including hinge creases which are a pain on box pleating models. Also, if you diagram an axial base it doesn't end up looking very helpful.

NeverCeaseToCrease wrote:It's been 12 years but if anybody still cares I would say Oripa is the best software for crease patterns. Oripa is free, in English, and it can:1.Draw grids2.bisect angles3.Turn three points into a triangular molecule4.Draw perpendicular lines5.reflect segments across linesAnd, it's claim to fame, it can fold the model from a crease pattern. Personally I don't find this feature too helpful for complex models, because you have to have every crease included, including hinge creases which are a pain on box pleating models. Also, if you diagram an axial base it doesn't end up looking very helpful.

If you have an Android smartphone, you will be pleased to learn from this other thread that Michelle Fung has ported Oripa to Android.

If you are on iOS, either iPhone or iPad, you may be interested to know that I am creating an app to draw and verify CPs. It is not on the App Store yet but it is fully functional and I am looking for beta testers. I think it is easier to use than Oripa but I would like to have other people’s opinion. It works differently than Oripa, so it may be surprising at first but once you get the hang of it, you will find it very speedy.

It has all the functions listed by NeverCeaseToCrease above, many improved, and some more:

Segment reflection (repeated as long as there is no ambiguity or the edge of the paper is reached)

Squash: find the missing fold to flatten a node

Huzita–Hatori axiom #5: fold a node to a line with another node as a pivot

Undo and Redo

Completely handles overlapping folds – no “duplicating segment”

It doesn’t simulate (yet) the actual folding like Oripa does but it can check Maekawa and Kawasaki’s theorems and tell you what problems it finds (missing folds, incorrect angles,…). Once all errors are corrected, you can export the file to Oripa through an e-mail and try to fold it there.

Here is a screenshot of the app:

I also have a video demonstrating all the functions on an actual CP (Saku Saku’s Penguin) but it is only in French. If you are interested, I can send you a link (I cannot post it here because it is not a permanent link.) If you have an iOS device (iOS 9.0 and above), send me a PM (private message) with your e-mail address and I can send you an evaluation copy.

Windows, probably not but Android maybe, as people keep asking me! But why, oh why, are there so few origami creators with an iPhone or an iPad???

In any case, my main goal is ease of use, and I am still developing the necessary concepts to make the drawing of CPs intuitive and speedy. I prefer to do that on the iOS platform before porting to another one.

It took a little bit longer than expected but it is finally there. I named it Origami Draw, as it is truly a drawing app tailored for origami CPs. Check it out:

Since my initial post, the functionalities haven’t changed much (I just added segment and angle 8-section) but I spent some time polishing the interface and squashing some bugs. Most importantly, I have included a user manual in PDF, as well as an interactive tutorial. They are available in English or in French, depending on your device’s settings.

As part of the submission process, I also had to create a support website where I can be contacted. I will try to use that site to publish some case studies and other discussions on origami design. I already put some additional explanations on how the app works. Here is a link.

There is a little bit of a learning curve for users accustomed to Oripa because the input method is different. However, I think it makes better use of the peculiarities of a touch interface. When you get used to it, you will see that it is very easy to use, intuitive and fast. It is a very satisfying experience for origami folders because we can use all our fingers to interact with the menu and point at lines and nodes. Instead of only using one finger on a mouse while looking elsewhere (on the screen), we can finally draw a CP like we fold a piece of paper. I hope you will enjoy it.

I have published a few new articles on my Origami Draw website. They are of course about CPs. Each article focuses on an existing model that I found the CP interesting.

If you are a beginner at deciphering CPs, you should start with my latest entry. The CP I am studying there, the seahorse by Hideo Komatsu, is not very complex but most beginners don’t see where the reference points are. Using Origami Draw, I show how to look for them step by step.

If you like Hideo Komatsu’s creations (and you should if you like an elegant CP), I analyze in another entry the design process of his horse. It is an amazing example where he manages to modify the size of the hind part of his model without changing the front half. It may sound easy for box-pleaters, but not so on a 22.5-degree model.

Finally, there is a series on finding some difficult reference points on CPs from Robert Lang and John Szinger. It is pretty high-level stuff, definitely not for beginners. But if you are somewhat versed in the art of reading CPs, you should have no problem understanding the 4-step process I propose. Each of the three CPs I study has some unique mathematical challenge you will enjoy solving with me. I've tried to be as clear as possible, using origami techniques to substitute for the math, especially for John Szinger’s octahedron. I actually propose an exact solution where his original design uses an approximation.

As an aside, if you have never encountered Axiom 5, you will see how useful this construction can be.